Why Things Don’t Change and Who Pays? Politicizing Quasi-Socialist Government Monopoly Mail Delivery is Inevitable When the Government is Involved. READ MORE WSJ 2 March 2012

The agency is experiencing historic losses—more than $5 billion in its most recent fiscal year—that it attributes to burdensome retiree health costs and a shift in communication habits in the digital age. First-class mail volume has fallen 25% since 2006, and the agency predicts annual losses exceeding $18 billion by 2015 without drastic changes, including closing an “enormous amount of excess capacity.”

The Postal Service is supposed to operate without taxpayer dollars. But in recent years the agency has been bleeding cash, forcing it to borrow billions from the Treasury. The Postal Service expects to hit its $15 billion borrowing cap later this year.

Mr. Donahoe’s decision to move ahead with the facility closings before Congress passes legislation overhauling how the Postal Service operates will “undermine congressional support for helping the postal service,” said Sen. Susan Collins, (R., Maine), who has pushed postal legislation in the Senate. She is protesting plans to close a mail plant in eastern Maine, arguing that it will disrupt timely service in the rural state.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) said the closing of postal facilities in his state “threatens the integrity of Oregon’s vote-by-mail system.” He added: “It is not a risk worth taking.”

Although, many policy makers agree that the agency needs to downsize, “political barriers” are perhaps the biggest obstacle, the Office of Inspector General said in its June 2011 report.

Already, in mid-December, 15 senators struck a deal with the Postal Service to put a moratorium on any closures until May 15, which the legislators said would give them time to pass comprehensive changes. That accord came after Mr. Donahoe said he was considering closing 3,700 post offices and was looking to cut mail-sorting facilities.

Note the comment:

“Easing the pre-funding of retiree health benefits”!

Does Congress have a clue about what got most states and some companies in trouble?

It’s like Social Security–take the money over years and spend it someplace else.